Chapter 11: Sheppard's planet.
John was in a world of pain and darkness until he heard her softly spoken voice and felt her silky-smooth hand on his arm. He tried to wake from the world he was trapped in - he wanted to see her beautiful face. Then he realised that there was something down his throat, wondering what it was he struggled to open his eyes, but it was too difficult and before he knew it his eyes closed again.
He struggled to escape the darkness a second time, this time he managed to open his eyes and look around before he felt the obstruction in his throat. His first thought was to try and get it out, but he couldn't move his hand. He gagged as he tried to suck in precious oxygen and his chest felt heavy - like an elephant was sitting on him. He was becoming dizzy, and his pain levels had notched up several levels, just as he thought he was about to suffocate he felt a cool soothing liquid flow through his veins and then he let the darkness take him again.
When he tried to escape the darkness a third time, he became aware of his surroundings. The smell of antiseptic, the soft bed and pillows told him he was in the infirmary – at least he thought it was the infirmary. But what had happened this time, why couldn't he move his arm? His throat was drier than the Sahara Desert and why did it hurt so much? He was feeling a little too hot, so he tried to push off the sheet that was covering him, but again his arm didn't work. These are all good questions, he thought, so he attempted to open his eyes?
He felt a soft silky hand on his arm, and he whispered, "Teyla."
He managed to open his eyes a slit, but it seemed like an impossible task to keep them open for long, so he kept trying and when finally succeeded he saw the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen staring down at him.
"John you are finally awake," Teyla said with a beautiful smile on her face. "I must go and tell Dr Miller, but first would you like some ice chips?"
He nodded and she placed a spoon with ice chips in his mouth, it felt like nectar from heaven sliding down his throat.
"What happened?" He croaked out.
"I will let Dr Miller explain it to you." She told him and left the room.
He just lay there and watched her as she left the room, and it was one of the most beautiful sights he had ever seen, and he couldn't believe that she wanted to be with him. Once she had left, he took the time to look around the room and he soon realised that he was in the cabin back on the planet with the anomaly. Why was he here again, how the hell did he get here and who the hell was Dr Miller? He seemed to remember that they were in the future, and he had finally admitted his feelings for Teyla, and then they had discovered another version of him, but other than that the details were a bit hazy.
He lay still and tried to take stock of his condition and he realised that his arm was still heavily bandaged and placed on a pillow, he still felt a little hot, but not as hot as he had when he'd first woken up. His throat was feeling a little better, but he could certainly use a drink of water.
It wasn't long before a middle-aged woman with blonde hair and blue eyes entered the room and he assumed that it was Dr Miller, "how are you feeling John?" She asked him with a twinkle in her big blue eyes.
"Who are you Doc?" John asked with confusion.
"My name is Dr Maddison Miller-Sheppard, and I was serving aboard the Daedalus when we ran into Ronon and Amelia, who had picked your puddle jumper up."
Furrowing his brow, he thought about what she'd just said, "did you say your name was Miller-Sheppard?"
"Yes, I am married to Torren, and we have been married for over twenty years and you have two grandchildren."
That piece of information was definitely a bit too much for his muddled brain to cope with - his son was married to Rodney McKay's niece, and they had two children. Shaking his head, he decided to change the subject, "what happened to me doc?"
"What do you remember?"
"The last thing I remember was shutting myself, in the front compartment of the jumper, then I have strange images of seeing Ronon and Amelia, before that I crashed a jumper on this dam planet." he took a deep breath before continuing, "wait did you say you're married to Torren?"
"Yes, and I'm sure he'll be along to see you later, but for now he and Todd are doing some research on the radiation on this planet."
He shook his head trying to get his addled brain to come to terms with what he had just heard, "Did you just say Todd?"
"It's a long story and one that I'm sure Teyla and Torren would like to tell you when you've had a rest."
He shrugged his shoulders and winced when it sent a pain shooting through his broken arm, "Really Doc, I've just been asleep for who knows how long?"
"You've been out of action for almost a week and for three of those days you were in a coma and intubated. Although your vitals are a lot better you are still not 100 per cent."
He knew that she was right, as he was beginning to feel tired again and he could feel his eyelids drooping, "can you send Teyla back in please doc?"
"Right away John," She smiled and for a moment she reminded him of Rodney, which led him to wonder where his friend was.
"Maddie, where is your uncle, is he still alive?"
He didn't miss the look of sorrow that crossed her face as she answered, "He passed away just before you came to the Daedalus."
"Why are you here then? Shouldn't you be with your aunt, I'm assuming he married Doc Keller? You should go back to the Daedalus as I'm sure that Teyla and Torren can look after me." Another thought came to his mind at that point, "where's Sheppard?" He asked suddenly feeling worried.
"Torren wanted to come to this planet to study the radiation and yes Dr Keller is my aunt. Teyla will tell you what happened to Sheppard when you have had a rest."
The conversation was becoming intense, but he immediately knew that something was wrong by the strange forlorn look that crossed her face, "what are you not telling me doc?"
"I'm sorry but he didn't make it."
That news hit him like a ton of bricks – Sheppard who was an older version of him was dead. He didn't quite know what to do with that piece of news, so he turned his back on the doctor and hoped that she would get the message and leave. When he heard the door close behind her he lay on his back and stared at the ceiling trying to figure out answers to the many questions that were rolling around in his head, the main one being why the hell was he back on this planet?
He closed his eyes and tried to settle his aching brain hoping to go back to sleep until this whole nightmare was over, but of course, that wouldn't happen because a minute later the door opened again, but this time it didn't bother him because he immediately knew it was Teyla, so he greeted her with a smile, "hey Teyla?"
"How are you feeling John?" She asked coming to sit beside the bed.
"I guess I'm tired and a little confused."
"Perhaps if you tell me why you are confused, I can try and clear things up for you?"
He grabbed her hand with his good arm and took a deep breath before he asked, "What happened to Sheppard?"
"By the time we got to the Daedalus, the two of you were incredibly ill, so you were immediately rushed to the infirmary. When the doctors examined the break in your arm, they found a bacterium, unlike anything they had ever seen before. The same bacterium was present in Sheppard's body."
It didn't take a genius to figure out how the bacteria had entered his body, "I'm going to take a guess and say that the bacteria entered through our arms when we broke them. But the only question is how come it didn't affect Sheppard until now?"
"Todd and Torren believe that the radiation on this planet is slowing down the spread of the bacteria. So, chances are if Sheppard had never left this planet, he could have lived another six months."
"So, it slows down the bacteria, but doesn't cure it?"
She shook her head, and he didn't miss the pained look that crossed her gorgeous face, "That is why we had to bring you back to this planet so that we could give Torren and Maddie a chance to develop a cure."
Getting tired of the current conversation he decided to change the subject, "what is going to happen to Sheppard's children?"
"At the moment they are here on the planet - which we've named Sheppard's planet by the way – but long term we are not sure what is going to happen to them."
"And is there going to be a memorial service for Sheppard?"
"We have planned a service tomorrow afternoon for him, but he has already been laid to rest next to his Teyla."
John immediately tried to sit up and instantly regretted it when an intense pain shot up his broken arm, "I want to go." He said with a gasp.
"Maddie has said that she will put your arm in a cast tomorrow morning and if she is happy with your condition, she will allow you to go. Oh, and she has also told me to tell you that you will not be getting out of this bed until then."
He was about to complain when a stern look crossed her face and he decided that for now, he would keep his mouth shut and be a good patient. So, he nodded his head at her and gave her his trademark lopsided grin hoping it would placate her.
"Alright then, I will go and get Maddie to give you some pain meds while I go and help the children prepare dinner. I have no idea where Torren is, but I suspect he will be home soon."
"Can you please send him in when he gets home?"
"I will send him in, but please get some rest first."
His eyelids were drooping again by this time and the pain in his arm was notching up a little, so he desperately tried to keep his eyes open while she left the room. Once she had left the room he gave in to the pull of darkness and within a minute he had fallen into a deep sleep.
It was dark when he awoke sometime later and in the dim lamplight, he could see the silhouette of a middle-aged man sitting in the overstuffed armchair beside his bed, "who are you?" He whispered, hoping that it was who he thought it was.
"Hey Dad, it is Torren."
He felt tears brimming in his eyes as he squinted at his son, "come closer so that I can get a good look at you?"
"I'll turn the lamp up so that you can see me properly."
The light in the room became brighter and what he saw took his breath away; sitting beside him was a man in his fifties who looked exactly like Teyla – except for his hair that looked more like his.
"I'm so happy to see you awake Dad, it has been so long."
All he could do was stare at the man in front of him; the man who he should have helped raise. He had so much to say to him, but he had no idea where to start.
He was relieved when Torren began to talk, "I love you dad and I really wish that you'd been there for me growing up, but you weren't so I'm looking forward to spending some time with you now."
He had no idea what Torren had been up to over the last fifty years so he asked the most obvious question he could think of, "did you grow up on New Athos or Atlantis?"
A look of sorrow crossed Torren's face, "New Athos was culled about a year after you went missing and unfortunately Kannan was killed in the attack as was most of the council. At the time the Athosians didn't feel they could look after me so Rodney and Ronon took me back to Atlantis and raised me along with Jennifer and Amelia. I ended up on earth after an attack on Atlantis. That is where I met Maddie and studied astrophysics."
The Athosians had been culled fifty years ago. He wondered what would happen if he went back in time, could he prevent it?
"Torren, I'm feeling incredibly tired again, so I hope you don't mind if I go back to sleep again?"
"Mom told me to tell you that she has helped Dave and Charin make some soup if you're interested?"
He was tempted to make some kind of remark about Teyla's cooking, but he thought better of it, "Nah, "I'm not really hungry right now."
"Alright then dad, "I'll see you in the morning."
"Goodnight son."
Watching Torren leave his room brought up all sorts of emotions for him, emotions that he had no idea how to handle so he did what he always did and tried to shove them into an overcrowded corner of his mind to deal with some other time - but he knew that he never would.
He awoke with a start the next morning and was happy to see that there was sunlight streaming through the window. The thing that surprised him the most though was that Teyla was sleeping in the bed alongside him. Smiling at her gorgeous face, he tickled her under the chin hoping to wake her up, but then again Teyla gazing could be fun.
She scrunched up her face and swatted his hand away and it had to be the cutest thing he had ever seen. He tickled her under the chin again and this time she opened her eyes, "good morning Sweetie," he said using a term of endearment and hoping that she wouldn't mind.
"I am feeling fine Honey, how are you feeling?"
He had to admit he could get used to this, "believe it or not I'm feeling much better this morning so perhaps I can go for a walk outside this morning?"
"Maddie will be in to see you soon and she would like to put a cast on your arm and then if all is to her satisfaction we can go on a walk after breakfast."
Thinking back to what had happened the night before, he suddenly thought of Sheppard's children, "what are the kid's doing this morning?"
"Apparently they have taken Torren and Todd fishing."
He chucked, "really Todd fishing that is the funniest thing that I have ever heard? What do the kids think of the Wraith?"
"I believe that they are enjoying his company. But he has stated that he must meet up with his hive again after Sheppard's memorial service."
He suspected he knew why Todd had to leave, but he didn't need to tell Teyla that and there was certainly no way he was going to tell the children that.
"Well, I'd love to see them again after breakfast, how are they doing after their father's death?"
"They appear to be doing well, but I think that they are worried about what is going to happen to them now. I have wondered if we should take them in, but then if we go back in time how would that affect the timeline?"
The thought made his head hurt, "I guess we'll have to ask Torren about it."
A knock on the door caught their attention, "come in," he yelled.
Teyla immediately got out of bed as Maddie came in with a pile of medical equipment.
"Alright John, let's get a cast on your arm and then I will bring some breakfast in for you."
Sighing he lay back on his pillows and watched as Teyla left the room. Luckily, he wasn't very hungry at the moment so he could easily wait until the doctor had finished before he ate. For some reason he felt like going back to sleep again though, so he closed his eyes, and it wasn't long before he was asleep again.
oOo
After a late breakfast, John followed Teyla, Torren, Maddie, Todd, and the children out of the cabin. The day was sunny and warm and there was a gentle breeze in the air, in fact, it was close to perfect, except they were on their way to a memorial service for an older version of himself.
For some reason Dave and Charin had been incredibly happy to see him and had spent most of the morning, showing him their favourite hiding places. Charin had talked to him nonstop, and he'd found himself becoming extremely fond of her. He even found himself wondering if he and Teyla could look after them, even if it meant taking the back in time with them. He would definitely have to talk to Torren about the ramifications of taking these children out of their time. Other than them being older than Torren in that time period.
His arm was now in a plaster cast from his hand to his elbow and he had a sling on. Maddie had told him that the bacteria in his system was at minimal levels for now and she hoped that it would stay that way until they could find a long-term cure. Apparently, Todd and Torren had spent a lot of time in the jumper studying the radiation in the atmosphere.
Todd had announced that as soon as the service was over, he would be getting in his dart and going to look for a meal. Shuddering at the thought he looked over at the big Wraith and noticed that he looked a bit pale and thin. He wondered if the kids understood what Todd meant by going to look for a meal - he sure hoped not.
A hand on his shoulder grabbed his attention, "John we have arrived, and the children would like to say something about their dad."
He grabbed Teyla's hand and looked down at the tiny stone that had somehow been engraved with Sheppard's age and the earth date of his death. Closing his eyes, he said a silent prayer for the man who had spent his life trying to find a way for him and Teyla to get off this planet. He assumed that when the time came to leave again Torren would have the calculations for them to do so.
His thoughts were interrupted again when Charin began to speak, "Dad, you were the most wonderful caring man. You were always ready with a joke or a story before we went to bed, and you were always there for a kiss and cuddle at any time of the day or night. I love you dad and I will always miss you, "tears were streaming down her face by the time she had finished.
He wanted to go to her and comfort her, but he thought better of it since he was the same person as her dad. He was relieved when Maddie went over and put her arm around her.
Dave stepped forward and spoke next, "Dad you taught me so much about life, you showed me how to fish and how to hunt. You helped me learn to fly a puddle jumper and you spent many hours with me building things for our house. I love you dad and I am going to miss you for the rest of my life."
He felt tears brimming in his own eyes as he watched Dave and Charin come to terms with their father's death, and he was relieved when Torren went and put his arm around Dave. Perhaps Maddie and Dave could look after them, he thought while trying to hold back the tears that were brimming in his own eyes.
Thinking back to his own father's funeral he knew the incredible sorrow he'd felt at the time, but he also knew that even though he and his father had been estranged for many years before he'd died, he'd had some really good times with his dad as a kid.
Deciding that the children may like some time alone, he walked away and found a fallen log to sit on as for some reason he felt tired again. He'd slept for days but he knew that if given the chance he could sleep for a few more.
Teyla came and sat with him, and he immediately put his arm around her, "how are you coping Teyla?"
"I am worried about the children and wonder what their future may hold."
"Yeah, I have been thinking about that as well and I thought that maybe Maddie and Torren would like to look after them. I would have to ask them about it of course, but it would probably work out for the best because I have no idea what would happen if we tried to take them back in time."
"That sounds like a wonderful idea John, perhaps we can ask them this evening."
Before they had a chance to continue the conversation Todd came up and sat next to him, "I am going now, John Sheppard. I may not get to see you again before you leave, but best of luck getting back to the past." He turned and looked at Teyla before continuing, "Teyla my queen, good luck."
"Hey, Todd how are you getting off this planet without getting sucked into the anomaly? And besides, don't you need a ZPM?" John asked knowing how complicated it had been for them to escape.
"Torren has given me the calculations to get the dart I stole off this planet and he assures me that I won't need a ZPM."
He nodded at him not really wanting to know how and where he had stolen a dart from in the last few days.
He watched the big Wraith stand up and walk away and he sure hoped that he wouldn't have to deal with him again in this time period. Teyla shifted beside him, and he turned to look at her before asking a question that he'd been itching to ask ever since he'd woken up, "hey Teyla, what are Ronon and Amelia up to? Why didn't they come down to the planet with us?"
"They need to get back to New Sateda as I believe that one of their sons is coming to visit them. Ronon told us that we were welcome to visit them on New Sateda before we went home though."
"I would definitely like to do that if we have time."
They sat in silence for a while, and he watched as Maddie and Torren knelt next to Charin and Dave by Sheppard's grave.
The day was getting tired as long shadows spread across the wooded landscape. The primary sun was low in the sky, and he knew that it was probably time to head back to the cabin for dinner. Dave had caught some fish that morning and Charin was going to cook them. The children were certainly independent, but there was no way they should be left alone at their age.
Eventually, Maddie and Torren started to move in the direction of the cabin with the children, so he took Teyla's hand, stood up and followed them. Looking across the field where they had crashed when they had first come to the planet, he saw the crashed jumper and he shuddered. He was still annoyed by what had happened to him and he hoped that Torren and Maddie could find a way for him to leave this planet without it killing him.
As he continued towards the cabin, he caught sight of a glint of metal in the distance and he wondered what it was – the last time he'd seen a glint of metal it had turned out to be a jumper fragment. Pulling Teyla's hand he rushed off in the direction of the flashing metal.
"John, why are we not following the others back to the cabin?"
"I'm sorry Teyla, but I saw a glint of metal in the distance and the last time I saw something like that it was a jumper fragment."
"Alright then, but should we not tell the others?"
"Nah I don't think we will be long."
They walked on in silence with John pulling Teyla along with his good arm. He was beginning to feel fatigued, and he hoped that he would make it without collapsing in a heap.
The primary sun was low on the horizon when they reached a scrap of metal, and he was totally shocked to see that it belonged to a jumper. Continuing in the same direction he came to more pieces of metal that were also of Lantean design. They all looked like they belonged to a jumper.
He continued in silence leaving Teyla behind him, he was sure that the rest of the jumper was somewhere close, and he was going to find it no matter what. There were many pieces of metal along the way and he had to wonder how much of the jumper was left intact.
Five minutes later he found what he was looking for and even though the light was fading as the primary sun sank below the horizon, what he found was unmistakable. The remains of a crashed jumper were right in front of him, and it was jumper one. He and Teyla had crashed in jumper one and the jumper he had found in the cave on the other side of the river was jumper one.
How did this jumper get here and why was it here? The only conclusion he could draw from the facts in front of him was that Sheppard had lied to him again and this was the jumper that he and his Teyla had actually crashed in and that was one thing Sheppard hadn't lied about this jumper was a lost cause.
TBC…